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Redondo Beach staff outline bike‑lane progress, trade‑offs; Diamond Street protected lanes planned
Summary
City traffic engineer Ryan Lu told the Redondo Beach Youth Commission the city has completed about 44% of its 26‑mile South Bay bike network; staff plan protected bike lanes on Diamond Street near Redondo Union High and buffered lanes as part of a two‑block Grant Avenue repaving project, while acknowledging trade‑offs with parking and lane reductions.
Ryan Lu, the city traffic engineer, told the Redondo Beach Youth Commission that the city has completed about 44% of the 26‑mile bicycle network identified in the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan and outlined upcoming projects and constraints.
Lu said the city uses four California facility classes — class 1 shared paths, class 2 painted lanes, class 3 routes (sharrows) and class 4 protected lanes — and that each is appropriate in different contexts. "When you provide that space for a cyclist, they will use that space and not ride in conflict with drivers or pedestrians," Lu said, citing counts that showed a sharp increase in cyclists at several locations and a drop in sidewalk riding on Manhattan Beach Boulevard after new lanes were installed.
Why it matters: city staff framed bike lanes as safety and sustainability investments that also reduce congestion and pavement wear. But Lu emphasized physical constraints in Redondo Beach — narrow, older streets, many driveways and competing uses — and said some projects require removing parking or travel lanes and can prompt local opposition.
Key details: Lu described the Diamond Street project near Redondo Union High School as a protected‑bike‑lane design intended to separate cyclists from cars while trying to minimize parking loss. The project may move one bus stop and add curb extensions at Juanita and Del Amo to improve pedestrian crossings. Lu said construction plans are being prepared and will return to the City Council for approval before work begins.
Lu also described a two‑block repaving of Grant Avenue that will narrow vehicle lanes to slow traffic and add a buffered space between parked cars and painted bike lanes to reduce the risk of dooring. He said the City Council previously allocated about $1,000,000–$2,000,000 to start repaving Grant Avenue and that additional work will depend on future budget decisions and grant opportunities, including Los Angeles County funding programs.
Data cited by staff included one counting location that rose from about 370 to 494 daily cyclists, and a Manhattan Beach Boulevard location where sidewalk riding fell from roughly 30% to 8% after lanes were added.
What comes next: staff said design and construction plans will be completed and brought back to the City Council for formal authorization; commissioners and youth members were invited to attend public meetings and show support during council consideration. The commission voted to receive and file the presentation.
The Youth Commission is expected to receive further informational items on e‑bikes and bike‑lane implementation as staff refine designs and funding plans.
